Tokyo, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Environment Ministry said Wednesday that a dead wild goose recovered in Kurihara in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Tuesday had tested positive for avian influenza virus in a preliminary test.

If the virus is confirmed to be highly pathogenic avian influenza through a genetic test, it will be the first such case among wild birds in Japan this season.

The ministry designated an area within a 10-kilometer radius of the recovery site as a priority wild bird monitoring zone.

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The Environment Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward

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